Electric socket



April 10, 1928. 1,665,495

E. H. FREEMAN ELECTRIC SOCKET Filed July 10, 1926 W/ wwass ES kQg/Lau mu Patented Apr. 10, 1928.

UNITED STATES. T NT; FFIC EDGAR n. FREEMAN, .OETRENTO N, NEW JEEsEY, AssIeNoR TO CIRCLE F MEG. 00., 0E TRENTON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION on NEW JERSEY.

I LECTRIC SOCKET."

Application filed July 10,

This invention relates to electrical sockets, and more particularly to a socket of theall porcelain type adapted for use in connection with a metal cap. i

In many installations porcelain sockets can be used to advantage in place of sockets of the brass shell type, but the difficulty heretofore encountered in connection with their general usehas been the lack of suitable and approved means for connecting the porcelain body with a metal cap, especially where the cap is more or less concealed or inaccessible. Porcelain sockets are generally cheaper than brass shell sockets and where sockets of the latter type are hidden by a husk or ornamental casing or covering, it is quite apparent that the cheaper porcelain socket may be substituted and thus lower the cost of the installation. Also underwriters requirements specify the use of por- 'celain sockets in places where brass shell sockets cannot be used but there is no objection to using porcelain sockets with metal caps. Therefore, it is also advantageous from a manufacturing standpoint to provide a porcelain socket constructed in such a way that it may be used with a standard metal cap of the type used on the metal shell sockets, since a standardized porcelain socket may be made to .be interchangeably used with a standard metal cap. This feature is also advantageous from the standpoint of permitting dealers to stock a porcelain socket body for use in connection with standard metal caps without the necessity of carrying separate caps for both kinds of sockets.

Accordingly, the present invention has primarily in view a novel construction which contemplates an. all porcelainsocket having special features which permit of its being readily inserted in a metal cap in such a way that it will be readily and positively locked against movement in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the socket as well as against rotational movementby the mere act of telescoping one end of the porcelain body into the cap. On the other hand the inven tion contemplates a construction whereby the porcelain body may be readily unlocked or disengaged from the cap with the aid of a screw driver or equivalent tool which may be inserted in a small place to release the locking means.

With the above and other objects in view 1926. Serial No. 121.668.

which will more readily appear as the nature of the invention is .better understood, the same consists in the novel construction, combinatlon and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated and claimed.

A preferred and practical embodiment of' lain socket.

Figure t is a bottom plan View ot'a metal cap. I

Figure 5 is an enlargeddetail View of the y eldlng locking means for holdingthe, cap and socket together.

Figure 6 is an enlarged detailview illustrating the manner in which the seats on the porcelain body.

Similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout theseveral figures of the drawings.

According to the "embodiment .of the inmetal cap vention shown in the accompanying drawing it will be observed that the porcelain socket is designated generally as S andpreferably includes porcelain casing or shell A and a wiring base B adapted to telescopically fit within and engage with a metal cap C. As previously indicated, the metal cap 0 is intended to be of a standard type adapted for use in, connection with a brass shell line of sockets and is provided as usual with the attaching nipple 1 and the annular flange or shell receiving skirt portion 2. This skirt portion is provided with a plurality of inwardly pressed keeper. lugs 3, which as shown in Fig.5 provide inwardly offset locking shoulders 41 throughout the interior surface of the fiange'or skirt. Also as will be observed from Fig. 4: the interveningspaces between the keeper lugs 3 provide a plurality of grooves 5, which as will presently appear assist in preventing relative rotational movement between the cap and the socket.

The wiring base B of the socket assembly is provided with special features of construction 7 thereof which meets the shell or cas ing A and resilient locking tongues 8 which are provided with the struck-out catch projections 9 which provide locking shoulders flange 7 10 adapted to engage with the locking shouh ders 4 of the cap when the'socket and cap are interlocked.

The locking tongues 8 are housed within recesses 11 which extend from the top of the wiring base downwardly through the porcelain flange 7, and as will be observed from the drawings the said tongues are secured to the wiring base by means of the fastenings 12 As shown, tongues are. of substantially angular formation so that the body portion thereof having the struck out catch projections 10 thereon is off-set from the bottoms of the recesses to permit of the ready depression of the tongues to effect the disengagement of the catch projections from the keeper projections onthecap when it is desired to detach the cap and socket. To assist in the facile detachment of the cap and socket the locking tongues are provided with the offset manipulating flange portions 13, which as shown in Fig. 5,.project beyond the surface of the cap a; suflicient distance to beeasily engaged by a screw driver orother tool which may be inserted parallel to the face of the shell or casing A. And, to prevent the chipping of the flange 7 by tliemetal cap it will beobserved from 6 that the ribs .6 areof su fiicient height toengage withthe shoulder 2 of the cap so that'the lower edge 2 of the flange will not strike the porcelain The wiringbase B is also provided with the central Wire receiving opening 14which permits the passageof the wires down to the binding terminals (not shown) carried by the wiring base and securedto the bottom face thereof by the fastenings 15 shown in Fig. 3. r

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the wiring base B includesthe porcelain ribs 6 which fit within the grooves 5 of the cap toprevent relative rotation between the socket and the cap when the same are interlocked, while at the same time the locking tongues 8 provide means for locking the cap and socket against longitudinal separation.

In practicethe capC may be installed on the fixture fitting in the usual manner and the wires drawn through the same and then passedrthrough the opening let inthe Wiring the locking pointed out.

base to be connected to the line wire terminals thereof. It will of course be understood that the casing portion A of the socket and the wiring base are separated to permit of this attachment of the line wires, after which the wiring base and casing portion of the socket aresecured together so that by merely grasping the casing A at its lower or open end and movingthe entire socket toward the cap,the desired'interlock will be effected immediately upon thewiring base fully entering the cap. Dueto the universal character of the. novel means provided on the wiringbase,it will be apparent that theentire socket may interfit with the cap in any circumferential position, and when the cutiedges 10 of the catch projections '9 engage with the cut metal shoulders 4 of the keeper lugs 3, it will be impossible to separate the socket and cap Without depressing the locking tonguein the manner heretofore indicated. In that con- M nection it may be pointed out that although two locking tongues areprovided, it is only necessary to depress one of the tongues in order to accomplish disengagement.

It will be apparentthat a distinctive. fea ture of the invention is the provision of porcelain as well as resilient metal locking means on the wiring base'for engaging with a standard cap to obtain the features heretofore a Without further description it is thought that the features andadvantages of the invention Will be readily apparenutd those skilled intheart andit will,o.f course, be understood that changes. in the form, proportion and minor details ofthe construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scopeof the appendedclaims. r

I claim 1. An electrical socket lnc luding in combiy nation, an interchangeable metal cap and porcelain body, sald body havingan lntegral offset portion, anda resilient metal looking tongue fastened thereto, said integral offset portion and metal locking tongue adapted to detachably interlock with thecap.

, 2. An electrical socketincludingin combination, a standard metal cap. having a plurality of keeperlugs thereon, and a porcelain body having integral offset portions adapted to engagebetween said keeper lugs and resilient metal locking tongues fastened to said body and having meansfor detachably engaging said keeper lugs.

3. An electrical socketincl udingin combination, a standard-metal cap having aplurality of spaced keeper lugs thereon. presenting locking shoulders and intervening grooves, and al porcelain body having spaced ribsfor entering said grooves and resilient metal tongues fitted to the body and having offset catch projections for engaging with the locking shoulders of said keeper lugs.

4-. A construction for electrical sockets wherein porcelain bodies: are interchangeable with standard all-metal caps comprising in combination, an all-metal cap having a plurality of spaced keeper lugs thereon presenting horizontal locking shoulders and intervening grooves parallel with the axis of the cap, spaced ribs formed on the porcelain body for entering said grooves, and reslllent keeper elements fitted to the body and adapted to 10' EDGAR H. FREEMAN. 

